


Want to Be Close

by meiyamie



Series: The Emperor and Empress in Alignment [1]
Category: Persona 3
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Lime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 05:25:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13357437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meiyamie/pseuds/meiyamie
Summary: Set after the October 2009 full moon event. Mitsuru reaches out to Akihiko.





	Want to Be Close

**Author's Note:**

> -Disclaimers apply. Persona 3 is property of Atlus, and no profit was earned in this work of fan fiction.  
> -This follows the Persona 3 Journey timeline with the male protagonist.  
> -Content warnings: references to a violent upbringing, and teenage heavy petting.  
> -I'd love to hear feedback! Do send it via a kudos, comment, or even e-mail at psychoshoujo@gmail.com. You can also find me on DW as meiyamie.  
> -Epigraph is based on a reading from http://www.priania.com/2013/07/emperor-in-love-and-relationships.html

_The Emperor emphasizes the word 'here'. If you wonder if your partner will take the next step in your relationship, the presence of the Emperor in answer to your question will most certainly be a 'Yes'._

Before the Iwatodai dorm, there was the place a much younger and more hot-headed Akihiko had nicknamed “The Pit”.

The Pit was a penthouse apartment whose glory days were clearly from the eighties -- a large living area and three bedrooms, but with wallpaper of bright colored art deco, and blocky angular furniture. Kirijo Group converted the unit to become a temporary base and training area for the first three members of SEES at the time: Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Shinjiro.

For a group such as SEES, such an inception was hardly a celebratory one. The happier memories they had there was the rare wit that came about after hours of being beaten down and screamed at to do better in becoming stronger, faster, and more focused. On worse days, their humor got darker, with morbid jokes about how to bury the bodies of the guardians that had tested them throughout the day.

Perhaps due to Mitsuru suddenly shutting herself out from her Father after the first season of the program, it was quickly restructured after they hired someone with a background in trauma psychology and military training. The property that would become the Iwatodai dorm was bought a year later, and they were quickly transferred there. The board however, kept The Pit in case of emergency.

"I still have the keys." She had said out loud to Akihiko that one night in November 2009. It had been three days after Shinjiro died. Akihiko had locked himself in his room, refusing to see their juniors. Mitsuru had given a direct order to let her inside, under the guise of forwarding homework and making sure that he wouldn’t flunk out of school.

Akihiko had finished his homework and they were sharing a beer. Mitsuru was seated in his desk chair, while Akihiko sat on the side of his bed facing her.

It was the first time in over a year that they had talked about it.

"Oh, so do I." Akihiko had pulled out the keys from his pocket to prove it.

Mitsuru smiled wryly. She set her beer aside and walked over to him to examine them.

“I lasted the longest during water torture interrogation training.”

“I made the best escape plan. We made it to the strip mall before we were caught by the other operatives.”

“That we did.”

“But Shinjiro was the best at this, wasn’t he? He placed first more often that not.”

“And he was the only one who hated it.” Mitsuru gave a sigh.

A silence passed between them. Akihiko sipped his beer, remembering. Then to his surprise, Mitsuru clasped his hand in hers.

“He’s a good man, Aki, I’m sorry that... I didn’t have the foresight to protect him...”

“I didn’t know either, Mitsuru...I can’t even blame Ken...it’s just...” His voice had caught. “We just got a rough deal here.”

Mitsuru had nodded, listening.

Akihiko was all too aware of Mitsuru still holding him, her smooth skin contrasting to his own calloused hands. He had felt this only once before, months ago at the love hotel. It wasn't as vivid then, it had felt almost dreamlike with the power of the Lover's Arcana held over them. It was Mitsuru who had snapped out of it first right before anything happened. But they were about a breath away from each other. 

He'd be lying if he said he didn't think about it from time to time, when he needed a little something more to live for. 

“Your hands are nice.” The words escaped him.

Mitsuru could feel a blush creep up her face, and hoped that it didn't show.

“Are they?” She asked.

She could feel his fingers over hers. She waited, with bated breath, as to what would follow. Yet it lingered there, like a 'check' in a chess game. Where last time they were alone together, the haze had passed and they realized that something else was in the air. Here, lay the unsaid question, "What next?" 

She pulled one hand away. Akihiko exhaled, thinking that a decision had been made. 

Yet one hand cupped his cheek, to his surprise. And a part of him didn't want to give in to that moment's hesitation any longer - he leaned in and kissed her.

She didn’t resist.

It felt right, after everything they’ve been through. He needed it, she knew. 

They wanted this. 

The night fell away.

 

Mitsuru wouldn’t describe that night to be “romantic”, and that act was hardly a confession of everlasting love. Where the regular teenager would have the awkward conversation leading into that moment of who would kiss first, she and Akihiko were simply better with being with each other. They had that night to confirm it, and they had become each other’s firsts -- First kiss, the first touch, yet the night ended with their clothes on but lying in each other’s arms.

Mitsuru quietly left when she was sure that the rest of SEES were in their own rooms. If they suspected anything, they didn’t say a word.

More nights like that followed. Soon, they grew comfortable enough with each other to slip their clothes off.

...Well, what actually happened was that one quiet Friday night in, Akihiko had challenged her to a strip-or-shot card game. The problem was, it turned out that neither really wanted to win. Clothes were stripped anyway, and they had crawled into bed, giggling. Their laughter soon faded into gasps, as hands found each other followed by mouths, whispers, and quiet pleas.

Mitsuru slept in the following morning. But when she attempted to sneak back to her room before anyone else found her, she ended up bumping into Minato just as he left his room.

There was that awkward silence between them as they sized each other up.

“...Had fun?” He asked.

She glared at him. His lips quirked up in amusement.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” Minato promised.

He never did.


End file.
